


Self-Defense

by csichick_2



Category: Leverage
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-11
Updated: 2015-07-11
Packaged: 2018-04-07 14:05:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4266036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/csichick_2/pseuds/csichick_2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Parker has a close call, Eliot decides that she and Hardison need to be able to protect themselves.  Because he can't always be there to do so.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Self-Defense

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sheeana](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sheeana/gifts).



As much as Eliot wants to be able to protect Parker and Hardison at all times, he knows that’s not practical. Though that fact doesn’t fully sink in until Parker goes rogue by doing that theft for Leach and things almost go seriously wrong. That’s when he decides that they need to be able to protect themselves when he’s not there to protect them. And while fighting isn’t the only means of protecting yourself, it’s what Eliot knows and that’s what he’s going to teach them.

 

While in theory, teaching them both at the same time would be more time efficient, Eliot is unsure whether that would hold up in practice. And even if it did, it probably wouldn’t be good for his sanity, so he decides to teach them individually. He goes to Parker first as she’s the one more likely to ever have to fight her way out of a situation and he assumes – correctly – that she’s less likely to argue with him about this. Though he hadn’t expected her to be quite so eager, which is something that he’ll worry about later.

 

What Parker lacks in offensive skills, she more that makes up for in defensive skills – evading a punch is a lot more similar to evading a tripwire than Eliot cares to admit. Her agility is her greatest asset, although that doesn’t cancel out that the first time she lands on a punch him, Eliot almost doesn’t feel the blow. That would be fine if it were a simple sparring match and but that’s not going to be the case if a job goes sideways.

 

“Hit me, Parker,” he says one day while he’s correcting her form. “Really hit me.”

 

“But I don’t want to hurt you,” Parker protests.

 

“You won’t, I promise,” Eliot assures her. “Put your hips into it like I showed you and hit me.”

 

Parker smirks and makes a sexually suggestive comment before landing a well executed punch about an inch below his solar plexus. He grunts in surprise, glad that her aim wasn’t better.

 

“Just like that, darlin’,” he says before she can apologize for doing exactly what she was supposed to. “I’m fine, you just surprised me is all.”

 

Parker smiles. “So I did good then?”

 

“Real good,” Eliot confirms.

 

Hardison, on the other hand, proved to be a complete nightmare. Not only did he loudly protest against learning to fight – to the point where Nate threatened to ban them from his apartment if they couldn’t shut up, but the only thing he had going for him was being four inches taller than Eliot, though Eliot probably had ten pounds on him just from muscle.

 

Hardison’s punches are all elbows and if he were to try to sweep an oppoenent, he’d end up on the ground with them. Eliot had known that he had his work cut out for him, but he still wasn’t expecting Hardison to be this bad. He tries his best to hide his frustration, and for the most part he does, but after one trying day a couple weeks in his mask slips and Hardison notices.

 

“You’re the one that insisted that I just had to know how to fight and now you’re acting like this an inconvenience,” Hardison says, a mix of hurt and anger creeping into his voice. “I have better things to do and from the looks of it, so do you.”

 

“It’s not an inconvenience,” Eliot assures him. “It’s just, well, you’re worse than I was expecting,” he admits.

 

Hardison laughs. “I sit at a computer almost all day. What were you expecting?”

 

“That if nothing else, you’d at least be able to hit harder than Parker,” Eliot blurts out, instantly regretting it based on the look on Hardison’s face.

 

“She… what… how?” Hardison says flustered. “She’s tiny.”

 

“I’ve only got a couple inches on her, so not that tiny,” Eliot replies, subconsciously trying to look taller than his five feet nine inches. “And you lose all your power when you stick your elbow out. Which for the life of me I can’t figure our how to cure you of, because I’ve tried everything I know.

 

“But boxers...” Hardison begins.

 

Eliot groans. “Boxing’s a sport. For the most part they’re trying to show they can hurt you without actually hurting you. Shit goes sideways on a job, they _are_ trying to hurt you. You need to hurt them worse.”

 

“I guess that does make sense,” Hardison admits. “But isn’t that what we have you for?”

 

Eliot can’t help but laugh. “Normally yes, but I’m not always going to be there. Like when Parker pulled that robbery solo and almost ended up in prison over it.”

 

“So that’s what started all this,” Hardison replies knowingly.

 

Eliot shrugs. “The two of you are important to me. And since I can’t be with both of you every second of every day, teaching you how to protect yourself is the next best thing.”

 

“I suppose I can stop complaining so much,” Hardison concedes. “And try to stop sticking my elbows out.”

 

Eliot quickly learns that try is the operative statement, as the other man’s elbows still stick out, but not as badly as before. Though after a few more weeks, Hardison is finally cured of that bad habit and starts sending Eliot staggering a few steps backward with his punches. Hardison’s not as scrawny as he seems and not that he’s learned proper technique, he’s capable of generating a lot of power.

 

Hardison and Parker still have a long way to go, and even then they’ll probably never operate at the same skill level as Eliot, but the foundation is there. He’ll continue to work with them, and they’ll continue to improve, which is important as they get closer to their showdown with Moreau. Eliot knows that his past with Moreau will have him at less than his best, and he can’t have Hardison and Parker getting hurt because he’s distracted. Like he said to Hardison, they’re important to him and he’d never forgive himself if something did happen.


End file.
